This invention relates to vehicle door locking systems and more specifically to vehicle door lock actuator assemblies incorporating provision for electro-mechanical actuation and/or electro-mechanical sensing of the setting or condition of the mechanism, e.g. whether it is in locked or unlocked condition. Assemblies incorporating the invention will normally form part of a vehicle central door locking (CDL) system in which automatic positive locking of all the door latches of a vehicle from a single operation at a central point, typically in unison with the locking or unlocking of the latch assembly of the driver's or other door, takes place. CDL systems commonly use electro-mechanical actuators in or associated with the slave door latches to lock and unlock them automatically in response to electro-mechanical sensor switches on or relating to a master unit, e.g. the driver's door lock actuator assembly, through an electric or electronic control centre.
The object of the invention is to provide door lock actuator assemblies having built-in electrical switching which are of particularly simple and reliable construction, compact, easily assembled and maintained, economical to manufacture, and quiet in operation.